Experiential Learning

Duke's Daytime MBA program doesn't only focus on developing your leadership skills for your future career. The program also cultivates and tests your skills throughout the program by offering a range of MBA courses for you to engage in real-world experiences.

From consulting with social entrepreneurs in Brazil and South Africa to developing a marketing strategy for a Fortune 500 product or getting your own company off the ground, at Fuqua you can apply your talents and develop new skills with hands-on training while earning course credit. We provide the structure; you provide the talent and knowledge to make change happen.

Below are some of the experiential learning opportunities you'll find at Fuqua:

What it is: Study the business, culture, economy, and politics of a region for 6 weeks before traveling to the area for 2 weeks to visit multinational corporations, local enterprises, government agencies, partner schools, alumni, and others in the region.

Previous students have: Met with the tourism minister in Botswana to discuss how he's trying to diversify their economy, gone a mile underground to understand the true conditions in the South African gold mines, and visited Argentinian wineries to understand the trade and shipping cost challenges of competing in a global market.

What it is: Collaborative consulting engagements with various types of organizations including small businesses, nonprofits, global corporations, and social entrepreneurs in developing markets (e.g., China, Brazil and South Africa). Engagements span the full range of industries and business functions.

Previous students have: Worked with entrepreneurs in South Africa; worked with NGOs to empower street vendors and build schools in India; assisted a health food company in developing a growth strategy; identified opportunities to expand market penetration for a bank; developed business models for new offerings for a sustainable energy services company, etc.

What it is: Leveraging academic research, courses, and a broad community of practitioners, P4E helps entrepreneurs define, plan, establish, and finance new ventures.

Previous students have: Started companies that set out to make Wii games for autistic children; built wind farms; developed medical devices for people with glaucoma; and created a central repository for all immunization records.

Outgoing Exchange Programs

What it is: A short, intense program at a partner school around the world that occurs during your winter break, a term, a semester, or the summer.

Previous students have: Worked with Cascos Verdes in Argentina advising on the company's sales strategy, attended the Australian Open as part of the Doing Business in Australia program, enrolled in Emerging Enterprise Consulting (EEC) class providing small business consulting for township entrepreneurs in South Africa, and honed global business skills while being immersed in daily life in any of 27 other countries and 38 partner schools.

What it is: Students are matched with local nonprofit organizations. They serve as non-voting board members and work to complete a consulting project over the course of the academic year.

Previous students have: Assisted in revising a mission statement; conducted desk research and site visits to explore new areas of growth for the non-profit; evaluated earned income strategies and investment opportunities; and created a new financial model to improve planning and cost tracking.

What it is: An opportunity to work closely with a faculty member to pursue a project of interest to you.

Previous students have: Prepared a business plan to spin off a for-profit subsidiary of a nonprofit and calculated a way to value NBA basketball players.

How much should pro basketball players be paid for their talents?

Ken Catanella '06, and former pro player in Germany, conducted an independent study to find out. His research showed ways to dig a little deeper beyond points, assists, and rebounds and look at some unconventional metrics that influence the team's ultimate success.

What is it: The Mentored Study Program is an opportunity for students who are switching careers or entering a new job function to work with a senior company official at a local start-up, non-profit, real estate development company, or venture capital firm.

Previous students have: Analyzed the prospects for a professional cricket league in North America, designed a social media marketing strategy for an event planning organization, and evaluated investment opportunities for a REIT in Washington, DC submarkets.